


Trials

by arcana



Series: Nano Fics 2k14 [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, Multigender Nishinoya, Trans girl Tanaka, loving supportive sister saeko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2014-11-02
Packaged: 2018-02-23 14:37:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2551193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcana/pseuds/arcana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>God damn that Nishinoya Yuu. If xe hadn't come over today, Tanaka could have easily delayed this another year or two, maybe. But it was all "Ryu, it's a big deal!" this and "Nee-san is the best!" that and then "It's going to keep eating at you until you tell her! Do you want this to start affecting practice?"</p><p>Tanaka had agreed for two reasons: one, Yuu needed to shut up, xe was making her even more anxious, and two, xe was right. She'd hidden that she was, in fact, a she from her sister for a long time already with all the manly bullshit, although she did grow to love the buzz cut, but this is Saeko. If Yuu was perceptive enough to know something was up with her, even if xe did know the reason, it definitely would not take Saeko long to come to the same conclusion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trials

**Author's Note:**

> i got another prompt (multigender nishinoya??? and how he/they/she/ae/ey/etc. figured it out maybe, or came out to specific people, or, whatever? another one would be trans girl tanaka!!!!!!! and saeko helping her and nishinoya out a lot and being generally super awesome and supportive!!!!!!!) so i decided to just write a bunch of fics instead of a novel for nano this year

“You can do it,” Yuu pushes her out of the bedroom. “I believe in you!”

The door is promptly slammed shut behind her, and Tanaka curses her friend for being so good at persuasion.Outside of xyr presence telling Saeko now seems like the worst decision, but faced with only shut doors and a staircase, Tanaka heads down the latter, fidgeting. She nearly never fidgets, but it’s a nervous habit she picked up god knows when and now she can't stop because _hell_ this was going to go terribly. 

God damn that Nishinoya Yuu. If xe hadn't come over today, Tanaka could have easily delayed this another year or two, maybe. But it was all "Ryu, it's a big deal!" this and "Nee-san is the best!" that and then "It's going to keep eating at you until you tell her! Do you want this to start affecting practice?"

Tanaka had agreed for two reasons: one, Yuu needed to shut up, xe was making her even more anxious, and two, xe was right. She'd hidden that she was, in fact, a she from her sister for a long time already with all the manly bullshit, although she did grow to love the buzz cut, but this is Saeko. If Yuu was perceptive enough to know something was up with her, even if xe did know the reason, it definitely would not take Saeko long to come to the same conclusion. 

Tanaka reaches the bottom step, hears the tv on in the living room, and has the sudden urge to bolt. Calm down, she thinks, slowly approaching where she thinks Saeko might be. This shouldn't be too hard. Your sister loves you. She'll be thrilled to find out she has a sister, too. Right?

Turning the corner and seeing Saeko sitting there, it really doesn't feel that way.

Obviously Tanaka saw her first, but it only took a second for Saeko to notice Tanaka hovering by the entrance. 

“Yo, bro! What’s up? You and Yuu need snacks or something? Actually, what’s Yuu feeling today, anyway?” She grins a welcoming grin at her, and maybe Tanaka feels a bit better. 

“Xe,” she replies. Then she starts, “And actually... I wanna talk to you.”

“Gotcha,” Saeko said. She didn't frown, per se, but she did look confused. “What can’t wait until Yuu isn’t here?”

“Xe’s the one who told me to do this now so I can't chicken out.”

Saeko moves over on the couch, patting the spot next to her. “Everything alright?”

Tanaka plops down next to her, letting free a nervous little laugh. “‘Course! It’s just a thing. Everyone’s got their things.”

“So serious that their best friends have to convince ‘em to come tell their sisters?” She hits Tanaka on the back of the head lightly.

“Okay,” Tanaka concedes. “It might be a more than just a thing. But I don’t want you to think it’s bad.”

“Well then stop worryin’ me and spill, little bro!” Her eyes are wide and she looks interested. Tanaka kind of feels bad. 

“It’s—well. It’s about that, actually. The ‘little bro’ thing.” She looks down at her lap. Saeko can probably guess where this is going, probably has already guessed, but Tanaka doesn’t want to see her face when she realises. It’s partly out of fear and partly out of embarrassment, but Tanaka keeps her eyes locked on her shorts. “Could you not call me that anymore? Like ever?”

She looks skeptical. “It bothers you?” Saeko asks. “If it does, sure, I’ll stop using it, but that can’t be the reason Yuu had to force you down here. I’m all ears if you’re willing to tell, but I don't want to hear something you don’t want to say.”

Tanaka exhales. She loves and hates her sister because of this: she is always willing to give Tanaka an out of something she doesn’t necessarily have to do. Tanaka appreciates that so much, but at the same time, Yuu’s words ring in her ears. She _has_ to do this now. 

“Now or never,” she says, shaking her head. Tanaka pastes on a big grin, just for confidence, and hopes her voice doesn't shake. “Nee-san, you have a sister.”

Saeko looks at her blankly. “Are you saying mom is… pregnant?”

“What? No! I mean, not that I know of, anyway, but where the hell did that come from?”

“You said I have a sister! You’re the only sibling I have and you’re not—” When Tanaka glances up, she can see the exact moment when it clicks in Saeko’s head because her eyes widen, like she’s looking at Tanaka in a new light. “Ah,” is all she says for the first moment, and they spend a couple seconds just looking at each other. Tanaka is about to start a whole rant, with reasons why she should accept her, reasons why she hadn't told her until now, yadda yadda yadda, but she’s saved by Saeko saying “How long?”

Tanaka scratches the back of her neck. “A while.”

“Does your team know?”

“I’m ‘she’ to all of them.”

“Even your coach?”

“Even my coach.”

“Well,” Saeko says, getting to her feet without pause, “how would my little sis and her best friend like to come shopping with me?”

Tanaka stares up at her. “Wh—Are you serious?” She had expected to at least have to explain herself; Saeko was almost too accepting.

Her sister scoffs, pulling her up. “Of course, idiot. What kind of big sister would I be if I let you run around with only basketball shorts and baggy t-shirts? Although the buzzcut does suit you—you gonna grow it out?”

“I—” Tanaka’s at a loss for words. “No, I’m not, I like it like this, but—you’re offering to go shopping, in the _girl’s section_ , with me?”

“Yuu, too, if xe wants to come.”

“ _Why_?”

Saeko rolls her eyes. 

“Ryu, you’re a girl, right?”

Tanaka swallows. “Y-yeah.”

“You said you’re my sister, right?”

“Yes?”

“Then why shouldn’t I believe what you say?”

Lips pursed, Tanaka thinks on how to properly answer. 

“It’s fast,” she finally admits. “The team took a while, asked questions. They still mess up with pronouns sometimes. I know you’re my sister, but you thought I was your brother up until a minute ago. Hell, I thought I was your brother for most of my life.” She pauses, then, “I thought you’d have questions.”

Shrugging, Saeko says, “I mean, it’d be cool if you explained a little more, and maybe i’ll have questions then, but it’s not like I’m gonna force you to. I know what Yuu went through, so I’d rather you have an easy time with this.” She pats Tanaka’s shoulder. “If you don’t want to go shopping, that’s fine. It would be difficult to explain to mom, anyway, but if you want clothes we can come up with some solution. Could always keep ‘em in my closet, too, if you don’t want to tell her.”

“I don’t want to tell her,” Tanaka says immediately. “I’ll explain to you, if you’ve got time, but mom’s a no-go.” For now, at least, she thinks. 

Saeko grins. “Sure, fine! We’ll keep this our secret for now. Well, ours and everyone else’s. Do you want to talk now, or later?”

A pause. “Yuu’s waiting,” Tanaka considers, “and we should go and come back before mom gets home, if we’re going to.” 

Saeko’s face lights up. “Later, then. Call Yuu down, I’ll go get the car ready.” 

Then something weird happens: Saeko steps to leave, pauses, turns back, and kisses Tanaka on the cheek. “You know I love you, right?”

Tanaka pulls back. “You don’t have to be cheesy about it!”

A loud, full laugh bubbles out of Saeko and she hits her on the head again. “That’s my little sister.” Saeko walks out, leaving her standing in the living room and wondering just what she did to deserve such a great sibling. 

She’d accepted Yuu the minute xe had said something, come to think of it. She knew about some of the team, and probably had some inkling about the rest. Tanaka wonders if maybe Saeko’s own days at Karasuno resembled hers, and if Saeko herself was hiding anything from her. Tanaka resolved right then to ask later, but only after she’d told her everything. Only after she’d told her about how she realised she’s a girl, how she agonised over it, who she confided in first. Tanaka would tell her sister anything she wanted to know.

“Yuu!” she called, giddy, up to her friend. “Get down here! We’re going shopping!”

**Author's Note:**

> people should send me prompts at shimizuraiko bc i need nano material really bad (not only volleyball tho i love volleyball but i have So Much Volleyball)


End file.
